


(bleeding) heart of roses

by reiwata



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Hanahaki Disease, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-06
Updated: 2016-08-06
Packaged: 2018-07-29 17:09:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,496
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7692679
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/reiwata/pseuds/reiwata
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>(this was supposed to be EiLeo angst with a happy ending but then WATARU CAME IN AND RUINED EVERYTHING I'M SORRY I'M WATARUP BUT HE HAS TO SUFFER I'M SORRY I'M AN ANGST WRITER AT HEART)</p><p>When his majesty, the Emperor gets the Hanahaki Disease because of his love for Leo, Wataru is more than happy to help, if it means that he'll see his Emperor happy. But what of Wataru's own suffering?</p>
            </blockquote>





	(bleeding) heart of roses

**C o u g h i n g**  wasn’t uncommon to the ever sickly Eichi Tenshouin. Coughing up blood was less common, but he was still never surprised to find his hands covered in red. Flower petals, however, were something entirely new to him.

“Are you okay your majesty?” Wataru’s concerned voice travelled across the room, causing Eichi to look up from the pink petals that had fallen from his lips. Without speaking (as he wasn’t entirely sure what to say) the blond lifted his hand and let the flower petals fall through his fingers. Shock showed on Wataru’s face for a split second before he crossed the room to pick up the fallen petals. “Bleeding heart. Often representing a tragic or rejected love. Quite a fitting flower for such a disease, don’t you think, your majesty?” Eichi shot him a questioning look, not quite understanding what the blue haired man was talking about. While that was nothing different from normal, of course, this time it seemed like Eichi was expected to know what Wataru was talking about.

“Ah, my apologies, your majesty, I didn’t realize you didn’t know.” Wataru spoke, standing up straight, graceful and elegant as usual. “It’s called the Hanahaki disease, and it seems you’ve caught it. An illness born from a one-sided love, causing the person infected to cough up flower petals.” he explained. Eichi felt his face turning red as he looked away. It made sense, since the flowers first appeared shortly after he realized his feelings, and admitted them to himself, knowing that the person they were for hated him. 

Wataru continued his explanation. “The disease can only end one of three ways. The first being if the love is returned. The second is an operation to get the flowers removed, which removes all feelings for the person in question as well. And the third, well… it’s not unusual for the flowers to eventually suffocate the infected. For someone as sickly as you, it’s best if we work quickly to resolve the issue before it gets to that point.”

Eichi nodded. “Of course.” he said quietly, more red and pink petals escaping his lips as he spoke. “How do you know so much about this disease?”

A sad smile graced Wataru’s beautiful face. “I too suffer from it.” The oddball must have noticed how surprised Eichi seemed, as he went on to explain more in depth. “I felt no need to worry anyone with my suffering, and it wasn’t too difficult for a professional actor such as myself to hide it.” He said that, yet Eichi thought he looked so distraught and tired. “It’s roses for me. Lately I’ve tried incorporating them into my tricks, to much success. I can’t bring myself to get them cut out, even though I know my feelings will never be returned.” The last bit was added uncharacteristically sheepishly.

“But enough of me!” Wataru threw his hands into the air, scattering rose petals everywhere, which was a bit less magical now that Eichi knew the source of the petals. “So tell me, who is the lucky person you’ve fallen for! I’m sure it won’t be hard at all to get them to fall head over heels for you! After all, once they get to know you, you are rather lovable~.”

Eichi laughed softly, thinking back upon the past weeks. The man’s return, and the battle which ensued because of said return. Joining on his side, rather than fighting against him for once, and the eventual realization of his feelings afterwards.

“Leo Tsukinaga.”

* * *

“Achoo!”

“Bless you, Ousama. I hope you’re not getting sick.”

“Why would I be getting sick! I’m the picture of good health.”

Izumi Sena rolled his eyes.

“Some people say that when you sneeze, it means someone’s talking about you.”

“If that were true, wouldn’t I be sneezing a lot more often?”

Izumi Sena rolled his eyes at his King once more.

“Knights’ Ousama! I must request your presence immediately!” The door burst open, revealing a strange person in a mask.

“Hibiki. What reason do you need our King?” Izumi was (probably rightfully) suspicious.

“Worry not, fair knight! While I cannot divulge the rather personal reason behind this request, I swear on my honor as one of the ‘three oddballs’ that he will be treated just ‘fine’.”

“You may be one of the ‘oddballs,’ but you’re also a member of ‘fine’ and servant to the tyrant emperor.”

“You wound me with your lack of trust!”

“Hey now,” The king in question finally spoke up. “Y’know that blockhead isn’t that bad anymore. Don’t forget that only very recently he had joined me in Knights Killers.”

“As if I could forget. So you’re going with him then?”

“Of course! I trust Hibiki! You should too Sena!”

The gray haired teen rolled his eyes.

“Very well then, Ousama~. Away we go!” And with that, Wataru whisked the king away from his unit with a shower of rose petals.

* * *

“So then, what  _ is _ this all about? Or am I not allowed to know either?” The eccentric king wondered aloud. “I suppose it’s got something to do with Emperor, right?”

“Correct you are! How perceptive!” Wataru congratulated. “I just thought it’d be nice for you and his Majesty, the Emperor to get close! Become friends! Maybe even more!” With each phrase, Wataru gestured dramatically, sending roses, petals, and even birds flying every which way.

“Hey now! Who put you up to this! It ain’t funny!”

“Hm?” For once, it was Wataru caught off guard.

“Who told you I liked him! You better not be doing this to make a fool of me in front of him!” Wataru let out a long loud laugh of relief, red rose petals escaping his lips. “Don’t laugh at me! This isn’t funny!” The king was growing angry, but Wataru was only showing happiness.

“I’m not laughing at you, I promise.” Light violet eyes were slightly wet with tears, but Wataru’s face only showed joy. “My dearest Emperor has caught the Hanahaki disease… Because of his one sided love for you. But if it’s truly not one sided, and you do love him back, then he can be cured, you understand? I was hoping to bring you two together so you could fall in love, but if you already love him, then I’ve nothing to worry about, right?”

“Wha? For real?” Leo seemed shocked to discover this. “O-of course!”

Wataru smiled at him. “I’m glad to hear that. Please take care of him, Ousama, as I won’t be able to take care of him forever.” And with that, Wataru opened the door to the room where Eichi waited. Watching from a distance as Leo entered, watching them talk, then kiss, Wataru smiled, glad to see his Emperor happy, not minding the pain in his chest as he coughed up more and more rose petals.

* * *

Now cured of one deadly disease, though more still threatened to end Eichi’s life at any moment, things settled down for a bit for the members of “fine.” But something still weighed heavily on Eichi’s mind. “Who is it that you caught the disease for?” he questioned Wataru over tea one afternoon.

“Ah, I shan’t say!” the masked oddball announced dramatically. “It’s a secret for not even those closest to me to know! Worry not though! I’ll do my best to not die before you do!”

Eichi frowned. “That’s not too reassuring Wataru… After you helped me too, can’t I help you?”

“Sorry, your majesty, but the person I love already loves another. And I’d much rather see him be happy than live myself.” There it was, that sad smile again. It broke Eichi’s heart a little.

“Why not get rid of it then, if your feelings will never be returned, why torture yourself that way?”

“Hmm, perhaps it’s like you’ve said, pain is a sort of pleasure too, right? I want to be by his side always, even if it hurts. That’s the extent of my love. Surely you understand, would you have ever accepted getting rid of your love for Ousama to save yourself?”

“Well it’s different for me, isn’t it? I’m already dying. But you, you could live long and be happy if not for this, couldn’t you?”

“I’ve lived long enough, and I’ve been happy ever since I met him. It’s been a while hasn’t it… And it hasn’t killed me yet. Though it has been get worse as of late.” As if to prove Wataru’s point, he started coughing, sending rose petals everywhere. “I’m sorry, your majesty.” He muttered in between coughs.

“There’s no need to apologize.” Eichi said as he helped pick up the rose petals scattered everywhere, growing even more concerned as he pricked his finger on a thorn, finding blood now coating some of the petals as well. “Please do something about this Wataru. Or let me do something… I hate to see you suffering like this.” Still Wataru kept that same smile on his face. “Wataru…” While Wataru attempted to pull himself together, there was a knock on the door.

“Hey Emperor!” Leo said, letting himself into the room. Both Leo and Wataru smiled upon hearing him enter, Eichi running to his now boyfriend.

“My dear Ousama, what are you doing here, I thought you were going to be busy for the rest of the day.”

“Oh, I--”

Before Leo could finish, he was cut off as Wataru began coughing even more violently than before. When Eichi started towards him, Wataru shook his head. “Don’t mind me, I’ll be fine, you two go.” he rasped, blood trailing down his lips as petals and thorns made their way out of his mouth. He grasped at his chest as he began coughing even more, unable to stop even to speak anymore.

Eichi ran away from Leo’s embrace to Wataru. “Wataru, you fool, you can’t let it get this bad! You’re going to kill yourself at this rate!” Pained violet eyes still somehow conveyed that smile that Wataru was insistent on maintaining. “Wataru!” Suddenly, Eichi felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around to find Leo staring sadly down at the two of them.

“You don’t get it, do you, Eichi?” That Leo has used Eichi’s name rather than calling him Emperor as he usually did showed how serious he was right now. But Eichi still didn’t get it, looking questioningly at his boyfriend. “It’s you he loves. Isn’t it, Wataru?” While Wataru still couldn’t speak, he did manage to nod his head, tears now mixing in with the blood, petals, and thorns. Eichi looked helplessly from his boyfriend to his friend, not knowing what to do. He didn’t hold the love for Wataru that he needed to save him, and he knew it. “There’s nothing you can do.” Leo told Eichi. “But… let me try to talk to him, okay? And maybe go get the other oddballs?” Eichi nodded and ran out.

“Listen Wataru. Are you listening?” Leo spoke, uncharacteristically serious. Wataru nodded through his coughs. “You’ve been trying to protect him, right? That’s why you never told him, because it would only pain him.” Wataru nodded again. “I know this isn’t what you want to hear, but that’s why you have to get them cut out, even though it means losing your feelings for him. If you end up dead, that will just hurt him more, you know?” Wataru shook his head, attempting to clear his throat.

“I may have… stretched the truth a bit… It’s not just… my  _ feelings _ that I would lose...It’d be him entirely… I wanted… I wanted to remain at his side until the end…”

Leo sighed, wishing he had known that before. “Still, if it’s between the two of those… You know he’d never forgive himself if you died because he couldn’t return your feelings...” Wataru nodded looking down and letting out another burst of petals. “You understand?” Wataru nodded again.

“Hmm? What’s wrong with Wataru-kun?”

It seemed that Eichi had returned with the other two oddballs.

“Is Hibiki-kun dying?” Rei acted aloof, but he seemed concerned. Meanwhile, Eichi stayed silent.

Wataru finally managed to stop coughing enough to talk. “Aren’t we all dying, some slower than others, but still all on a road that leads to our eventual deaths?”

“Cut the bullshit Hibiki-kun.”

“Oh, it’s ‘fine’, Ousama here has already convinced me to do what has to be done.”

“What ‘has to be done,’ Wataru-kun?” Kanata asked.

“Have you ever heard of the Hanahaki disease?”

“What? Who would reject Wataru-kun’s ‘love’?” Wataru glanced over at Eichi, and that told the other two oddballs all that they needed to know.

“You idiot, Hibiki-kun. So you’re going to go get it removed?” Wataru nodded.

“We’re coming with you.” 

While Rei’s statement left no room for argument, Wataru was ready to anyway. “You guys really don’t have to...”

“But Wataru-kun is our ‘friend.’ So we should be with him.” Kanata agreed.

Eventually, Wataru reluctantly gave in, allowing the two oddballs, as well as Leo to accompany him. “What about Eichi?” He asked, spitting out thorns as he said the Emperor’s name.

“He should stay here. It wouldn’t be good for him to come, you know…” Rei said, and Kanata nodded his agreement.

“I understand.” Eichi said, finally speaking, his voice quiet. “I’ll wait here.”

Wataru shook his head. “No, go ahead home, your majesty. I’ll be fine.” Eichi reluctantly agreed. “I love you Eichi.” Wataru spoke. “I’m sorry.” With that, he began coughing up even more petals, and was dragged away by his friends.

“Go home, okay Emperor?” Leo repeated. “I’ll see ya tomorrow, okay?” Eichi nodded dazedly, watching Leo follow the others out before leaving himself.

* * *

Eichi was a little worried when he arrived at school the next day, especially when Wataru wasn’t there to greet him like he usually was. Sure, they were in different classes, but that didn’t stop Wataru from making sure to greet his Emperor before heading to his own class. Eichi decided to head over to 3-B, just to check.

“...Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll make a great member of ‘Knights’ ahahaha! We’re glad to have you!”

Eichi was a little hurt to see his boyfriend saying that to Wataru. Why was Wataru leaving “fine”? Was it because of what happened? Was he mad at him for never returning his feelings?

“Oh, hey Eichi! How’s my precious little Emperor?” Leo said with a smile. Eichi wasn’t sure what to say, but walked over to his boyfriend anyway, calmed a little when Leo kissed him.

“Ohoho, Ousama, you never told me you had a boyfriend.” Wataru looked over at the blond. “Nice to meet you, I’m Hibiki Wataru~.” Seeing the blank look in Wataru’s eyes, Eichi finally understood. So this was the real price of unrequited love.

“Tenshouin Eichi, president of the student council and leader of Yumenosaki’s top unit, ‘fine.’ It’s a pleasure to meet you, Wa--I mean, Hibiki-kun.”

**Author's Note:**

> I'm actually thinking about adding an even more painful epilogue~


End file.
